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Welcome to the rollercoaster of Texas politics, 2011. The year that’s coming to an end has seen numerous reversals of political fortune, from Rick Perry’s rapid descent in the presidential race to the bizarre legal battle over the state’s legislative and congressional redistricting. Here are ten of the big winners (and losers) in Lone Star politics. …

When Republicans unveiled their redistricting maps during the Legislature’s special session, political observers were somewhat surprised, and minority and civil rights groups quickly complained and then sued.

Only one of the four new congressional districts was designed to be a “majority-minority” district even though minorities accounted for 90 percent of the population growth.

“We drew them fairly, to represent the will of the people of Texas,” said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. “After all, the majority of Texans are Republicans.”

Now that Rick Perry is in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, at least five business executives from the ranks of powerful K Street lobbyists in the nation’s capital are going public with their support for the veteran Texas governor — and their willingness to help raise money for his White House bid. …

The surprise decision by U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, not to seek re-election to Congress, announced Tuesday via Twitter, prompted immediate speculation among both Democrats and Republicans about possible successors. One with a definite interest in the race is Nick Lampson, a Beaumont Democrat who represented Texas’ 9th Congressional District from 1997 to 2005 before falling victim to the controversial mid-decade redistricting effort engineered by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. On the Republican side, state Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, immediately expressed interest. …

Sen. John Cornyn filed an amendment yesterday to prevent the Fish and Wildlife service from extending endangered species protection for the the 3-inch dunes sagebrush lizard. According to Cornyn, protecting the lizard would cripple the oil and gas industry in West Texas. …

The Texas Legislature’s redistricting committee have junked the much-maligned congressional redistricting plan released a week ago by the GOP’s House and Senate redistricting panel chairs. In its place was a new, somewhat different map. Since the new proposal contains some significant changes (like Houston region shifts), we thought we should analyze the map, region by region. …

Reaction to the legislative leadership’s congressional redistricting plan varied widely. Houston Rep. Gene Green, whose district changed little, complained that the plan did not treat Harris County fairly–particularly its rapidly growing Latino population. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, whose district saw a large growth in its Hispanic constituency, called the map “a great starting point.” But Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, target #1 of the GOP, called the proposal “cunning and malicious.” …

With the Texas legislative session winding down, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting concedes that lawmakers probably will not get congressional redistricting finished. “Can we get it out of the Legislature? Probably not,” said Sen. Kel Seliger.

Redistricting insiders say that one of the reasons for not having a map yet is because of disagreement among Republicans about where to draw the four new congressional districts.